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FROMMER’S NAMES AMERICAN WHISKEY TRAIL TOP TOURIST DESTINATIONS FOR 2008

March 25, 2008 08:00 PM

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Frommer’s, the travel market’s leading experts, recently named the American Whiskey Trail (www.americanwhiskeytrail.com), one of the “Top Destinations for 2008.”

“We picked the American Whiskey Trail because it highlights a fascinating -- but an often overlooked and still ongoing -- part of U.S. history,” said David Lytle, Editorial Director at Frommer’s. “Points along the trail make prime destinations for a leisurely road trip in some of the most charming parts of the country.”

The final group of 13 international and domestic vacation destinations was chosen by the Frommer’s staff (www.frommers.com) from various nominations submitted by travel editors and authors.

The American Whiskey Trail is a cultural heritage initiative of the Distilled Spirits Council and Historic Mount Vernon. The trail highlights the fascinating role spirits have played in American history, from the colonial era, to the Whiskey Rebellion, through Prohibition and into contemporary society.

“Everyone from casual tourists to spirits connoisseurs and history buffs can gain insight into this unique piece of American heritage by visiting the American Whiskey Trail,” said Distilled Spirits Council Senior Vice President Frank Coleman. “We are pleased that Frommer’s has recognized this historic journey into America’s distilling past and hope that travelers will take advantage of the unique destinations along the trail.”

The trail includes many of America’s most famous operating distilleries as well as important historic sites connected to the history of distilling and spirits in the United States. The “Gateway” to the American Whiskey Trail is George Washington’s Distillery at Historic Mount Vernon in Virginia, where Washington erected the 2,250 square foot distillery in 1797, making it among the largest whiskey distilleries in early America. This newly reconstructed distillery is the only historic site in North America capable of showing the early-American distilling process from seed to barrel.

All the sites, including Mount Vernon, can be incorporated into vacations to the South, New York, Virginia or even the Caribbean. There are a total of eight distilleries that offer tours of their whiskey-making process, and two more that show the rum-making process. For more information visit: www.americanwhiskeytrail.com <http://www.americanwhiskeytrail.com> .